Letter to Myself - 5 Years Ago

20sb (20 Something Bloggers) is five years old! It's a blogging community I've been a part of for probably about a year and a half now, and it is probably one of the best things I've ever done for the blog. 

To celebrate, they asked for people to write a letter to themselves 5 years ago.

Eeek.

Five years ago was the summer before my senior year at Concorida. The summer I turned 21, road-tripped to St. Louis with six friends for a wedding, helped as a young adult volunteer at the National Youth Gathering, Vacation Bible School, visiting family in Indiana, my first high school friend got married... I can't believe that was 5 years ago. Crazy!

So... here goes nothing I guess.

Me on my 21st - I blame my lack of style on hanging out with too many boys.
I think the arm belongs to my friend Aaron.

Emily-


First, on your birthday don't try the rum and coke. Even though you ask them to be light on the rum, they won't listen and it's gross. Go for something sweeter, like amaretto stone sour. Trust me, you'll love it and you'll be drinking one every Wednesday at Molly's this upcoming school year.


This year is a big one. Your final year at Concordia, internship is coming up, and you have no idea where you're going to be a year from now. It's stressful, but fun too. Some advice:

Take careful notes and actually listen to Dr. E and Bill. I know you think you listen to them, but you really don't. You think your notes make sense - but trust me they don't. When you are on internship you are going to be BEGGING them to teach you EVERYTHING all over again.

Stop comparing yourself to all of the other girls on campus. Concordia has a messed up view of happiness and marriage. Being single isn't a bad thing. It's pretty great actually.

Speaking of which - stop worrying about that guy. Yeah - THAT GUY. You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about. Warning you now, A LOT of drama is going to happen in the next couple of years. It'll turn out just fine, but seriously just get over it now. It's not going to happen. He'll still be one of your BFFs in the future and it's awesome. And... you're beautiful. Don't ever think otherwise.

Also, guard your heart and emotions. Getting overly involved in other people's emotions is really draining and it tends to make your family and friends worry about you. Be there for your friends and support them, but take care of yourself too.

The real world is... different. It's a HUGE change from life at Concordia. You're not going to have people just down the hall or across campus to hang out with at the drop of a hat. It's going to be tough. Learn to be happy being by yourself sometimes, it's good for you.

Go easy on your sister. Please.

Whatever you do - DON'T PUT MEDICAL BILLS ON A CREDIT CARD. Figure out your financial situation. Just... do it. And when you have issues - GO GET HELP.

When you put the church name in the GPS... make sure it's in Virginia- not Maryland. And if you do, at least it's a great story.

Friendships change, and it's okay.

You think you know all about ministry and church work right after you leave CUC - you don't. Get over yourself.

Stop stressing. It'll work out. Don't think about what "it" is... cause it all will work out.

Meet new people. Make new friends. If you don't, you'll regret it later.

Join the community theatre while on internship. It's pretty awesome.

NaNoWriMo is AMAZING and you're going to look forward to it every single November.

One day you're going to have to say no. It's hard and it sucks. But you can do it, and don't worry- it's for the best. I promise.

You'll have doubts along the way, and they might not get resolved. Learn to be content. Dream big. Help other people. Love.

And just keep going. You're doing okay. Sometimes it doesn't feel like you are, but you are. Trust me.

Emily

This post is submitted as a part of the 20SB 5th Birthday Blog Carnival, sponsored by GlassesUSA.com.Submit your own post here.